Cheese-knife



(No Model.)

G. T. MORAN.

CHEESE KNIFE. No. 346,557. Patented Aug. 3, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ GEORGE T. MORAN, OF BURLINGTON, IOYVA.

CHEESE-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 346,557, dated August 3, 1886.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. MORAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oheese-Knivcs,(on Letters Patent granted to me on the 4th day of November, 1884:, No. 307,568,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cheese-knives, in which a cutting-knife operates in conjunction with a rotating block or plate in a cheesesafe and a graduated scale.

In the accompanying drawing, similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing, X is a device consisting of upright A, cross-bars B and B, and brace O, connecting the ends of the upright and crossbars, as shown.

Device X is fastened in any suitable manner to one of the corners of an ordinary cheesesafe, S, having a rotarybottom plate, K,which rotates by means of any suit-able device upon bottom 8 of cheesesafe S. Brace O is provided with groove 0', in which rack D slides up and down. Rack D is retained in groove 0 by guide-plates d and d. To cross-bar B is fastened by bolt or otherwise the pinion E, so that its teeth will engage with rack D. Pinion E is provided with crank 0. To rack Dis fastened by any suitable means one end of cutting-knife F, in such a' manner that the other end of knife F will point to and about reach the center of the rotating bottom plate, K.

H is a scale preferably divided into eighths, which scale, by means of spring-armsi i, is secured to bottom 8 of cheese-safe S, so as to have scale H rest against the circumference of the cheese when the same is placed upon rotating bottom plate, K. The springs i 73 allow the scale H to be depressed by the knife F, and then throw it (the scale) back into position.

The mode of operation of my invention is as follows: I first obtain the weight of the cheese by any ordinary means. Next I measure the circumference of the cheese, and the number of inches thus obtained I multiply by eight, so as to have the degree of the movement correspond with the one-eighth-inch distance on the graduated scale. Then I calculate how large the arc of a sector of a piece of that cheese must be in order to weigh one pound. After this is determined I place the cheese in the middle of the rotating bottom plate, K, so as to bring the center of it directly under the inner end of knife F. By turning crank O the knife F is pressed down, thus cutting through the cheese. A backward turn of crank 0 brings knife F up again. My machine is now ready to cut any desiredquantity from the cheese. If one pound is to be cut, I rotate the plate K by means of my hand a sufficient distance along the side of graduated scale H, which distance is determined in the manner heretofore set forth, whereupon, by means of crank O, the knife F is set in motion, and the indicated amount is cut off.

1 am aware that a cheese-cutter has been devised consisting of a frame with pinion and rack provided with a knife; also, that such knives have had a scale for measuring the piece of cheese to be out.

What I claim is The upright A, cross-bars B B, and brace 0, connecting the ends ofthe upright and crossbars, the brace 0, having a groove, 0, and guide-plates d d, in combination with the pinion E, fastened to cross-bar B, and rack D in groove 0, knife F, secured to such rack, and the scale H, having spring-arms i, as set forth.

GEORGE T. MORAN.

Witnesses:

EUGENE BUTTLES, J. P. WALLACE. 

